Welcome!

Welcome to my Polish blog! My Polish great grandpa was orphaned during the Chicago flu epidemic of 1918 & spent his life looking for all of his siblings. Some family stayed in Chicago & some returned to Poland. Some family was Catholic, & some are believed to be Jewish. I post the things I learn in efforts it may help someone else in their research. I also hope this blog helps me connect with others that know about the people I'm learning about. Digital images of records or links are put inside most postings so you can view records full screen. I encourage comments. Feel free to sign the guestbook, stating who you're looking for. Maybe we can all help each other out this way, because there are many challenges with Polish research. I hope you enjoy learning with me. And I hope to be taught more about my Polish heritage.I have added a few languages to this blog through Google translate. I hope that it may be accurate enough with the communication of ideas. Thanks! -Julie

Натисніть на прапор, щоб подивитися на українській мові

Щелкните флаг для русского перевода

Kliknij na flagę, aby zobaczyć w języku polskim

12 September 2009

Adam Sanetra's Naturalization record

I got Adam Sanetra's Naturalization record this week. Adam's signature on the Declaration of Intent (1918) & the Petition for Naturalization (1925) are at the top of this blog in the title. It took a month from the time I mailed the letter requesting the record, until I received the record. In 1918, Adam was listed as age 39, race white, complexion light, height 5' 6", 165 pounds, gray hair, brown eyes. Adam filed his Declaration of Intention, in Chicago, on 25 Jun 1918. There is a waiting time to file the Petition For Naturalization. I believe 1 year to 18 months. Well, by that time, Adam's wife Rosalie Wandzel had died (4 months after filing), three children were lost while in the temporary care of the orphanage, (Stanley, Paul & Ervin) and he had married a second time to Alfreda Mazukiewicz. Adam took his new bride Alfreda, & his children Bennie & Jozef to Poland. Alfreda soon after had Jadwiga. Then a few months later Adam Sanetra went back to the States 13 Jul 1923 through Ellis Island. That record said Adam planned to stay indefinitely. That's when Adam filed his Petition For Naturalization. During the Chicago flu epidemic, you could put your children in a temporary part of the orphanage, and you had 6 months to come back for them. Single parent immigrants often couldn't care for their children, so they often put their children in an orphanage (the temporary part) while they tried to remarry. Adam did come back in time, but only two of his 5 boys remained. Stanley, Paul & Ervin had been farmed out and could not be found.

Jozef explained in a family letter that Adam was so upset about 3 of his children getting lost, that he took Alfreda and the two boys left in the orphanage, (Bennie & Jozef) and put them where he felt safe, in Poland. Then Adam went back to the States to (1) look for his three boys, (2) see if he could find Bronislawa "Bessie" (She got lost in immigration) (3) Send money home, and (4) get US Citizenship. Then he would send for Alfreda & the children in Poland. For 18 months Adam looked for Stanley, Paul & Ervin & never found them. Then he was denied citizenship, so he went back to Poland for the remainder of his life, which was only 2 years later. Adam died in 1927. From the time Adam filed to the time he was denied was 7 years time.

One big thing I learned from this record was that Alfreda was born in Poland. So I expect she was born in Kolbuszowa as Jozef stated that's where she was from. So there should be an immigration record for her, but I have not been able to find it yet. So neither Adam nor Alfreda were US citizens, but were married at the Chicago courthouse and there is a US marriage record for that. In 1916, I could not find Alfreda in the Chicago City Directory. She was 34 when she married Adam in 1920, and had not been married before, so I expected to see her in the City Directory. I have not yet been able to find Alfreda on a US record except for her marriage record to Adam Sanetra.

Google+ Badge

Visit & sign guestbook

About Me

Naturalization info help

See posting 18 Jul 2010 for links, explanations and JPEG image examples explaining how I have found naturalization records.

Followers

visitors

Chicago Census Maps & Chicago street grid (address) changes

If you have an address, you can look up your family on the Census through Census maps. Which for immigrant names, is often an easier way to find families. See more on the posting 1 Oct 2009, or the tag "census maps".
Also, there were major changes to Chicago addresses in 1909 & 1911. See the posting for 1 Jan 2010.